Successful participation in VietWater and 2nd phase-of-DEVIWAS evaluation mission of German Delegation to Vietnam

January 5, 2019

From 8th to 14th November 2018, the German delegation comprising of sequa/BMZ and GWP delegates attended the International Exhibition VIETWATER 2018- the Vietnam&;s leading international water supply, sanitation, water resources and purification event. Afterward, it had the evaluation mission on 2nd Phase of DEVIWAS project implementation in Ho Chi Minh, Binh Duong, Hue and Hanoi.

The delegation comprised of Mr. Axel Mierke, independent evaluator; Dr. Roland Strohmeyer, Project Manager (PFK) sequa; Ms. Julia Braune, Managing Director of GWP; Ms. Natalie Kolbe, International Projects Advisor of GWP; Ms. Thao Nguyen, DEVIWAS Project Manager of VWSA; Mr. Linh Ngo, DEVIWAS Project co-Manager of VWSA.

Ms. Julia Braune, on behalf of GWP, receiving memorial award from exhibition organizer UBM

Mrs. Julia Braune, GWP's Managing Director, received the memorial award by the organizer at the opening ceremony of Vietwater Exhibition for GWP&;s active contribution to the exhibition such as having its exhibition booth, presenting and moderating various sessions of international conferences during the VietWater, etc. Taking this opportunity, also at VietWater, the delegation had a courtesy call to Mr. Cao Lai Quang- Chairman of the VWSA, in which delegates were welcomed and briefed by the Chairman on overall progress between the VWSA and the GWP & sequa, the DEVIWAS achievements so far, as well as the VWSA&;s desire to continue partnership with the GWP in new areas in the future.

At the GWP booth at VietWater

VWSA Vice Chairman Ung Quoc Dung briefing on business opportunities for GWP members at VietWater

Thereafter, the delegation started its evaluation mission by meeting and worked with various stakeholders of the DEVIWAS project, including VWSA member companies, i.e. Saigon Water Supply Corporation, Can Tho Water Supply and Sewerage Joint Stock Company, Phu Tho Water Supply Joint Stock Company, Binh Duong Water - Environment Joint Stock Company, Thua Thien -Hue Water Supply Joint Stock Company. The evaluation team also met representatives from three VWSA international partners, namely Finish Water Forum, Hungarian Water Clusters, and Australia Water Association. From 12th to 14th November, in Hanoi, the delegation met further with other stakeholders including the Administration of Technical Infrastructure- Ministry of Construction, the German Embassy, German development cooperation organization GIZ, TVET vocational training program funded by the German Government, as well as various divisions of VWSA.

Through meetings with various stakeholders relating to DEVIWAS project, the evaluation team worked on a comprehensive assessment of VWSA's performance from different perspectives, such as the image of VWSA under the viewpoint of its members, international partners and regulators, the VWSA's capabilities and quality of services provided to its members, advocacy role of VWSA as a bridge between its members and government agencies. Before ending of the mission, the team came up with its short initial report on the main outcomes of project 2nd phase, which were very well achieved, meeting most of the objectives set by the project. On 13th November 2018, at VWSA office in Hanoi, the delegation reported to VWSA Chairman Cao Lai Quang on the evaluation results, highlighted the VWSA efforts and achievements during the past 3 years, at the same time proposed numbers of solutions for VWSA to further develop sustainably in the future.

Attending VietWater Exhibition 2018, the GWP had nearly 30 enterprises participating in the exhibition. This was an opportunity for German and Vietnamese enterprises to have opportunities to network, exchange technologies, learn and share experiences in the water sector in general and business management in particular. At VietWater, GWP&;s booth received many international delegates from water associations of Australia, Finland, Korea, the U.K and Cambodia ...These associations have been long-time partners of the VWSA.

Typical pictures of DEVIWAS evaluation mission: